


you had me at hello

by xseobins



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Dates, M/M, Not Beta Read, Strangers to Lovers, minho changbin and jisung are barely there but yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26532844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xseobins/pseuds/xseobins
Summary: As soon as Seungmin lifts his eyes from the ground, he sees a man running in his general direction, a hand running through his messy blonde hair as he frantically looks around, clearly searching for something. Seungmin is just about to open his mouth to catch the other's attention when the man's eyes land on him, widening just a little once he notices the leash still gripped tight in his hand.or the one in which Berry runs away from Chan in a park, but it’s okay because it leads him to Seungmin.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 150
Collections: Seungmin-Centric Ficfest





	you had me at hello

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Prompt #21: Person A is walking their dog and Person B is running late to work/uni/somewhere important but they stop to pet Person A’s dog.
> 
> To the prompter: I hope it's close to what you had in mind, and that you have fun reading this!

It's a nice day. The sky is clear, and it's finally warm enough outside that Seungmin can leave his house without wearing a winter coat. Seungmin has always hated winter, much preferring the warmth and blooming flowers that spring brings along. It's still too early for him to head to his first afternoon class, but he decides to leave already, just so he can take the long way back to campus and enjoy the nice weather.

The park is pretty quiet. It's early enough in the day that most kids are still in school, but the sun is also high enough in the sky that there aren't a lot of people out running or exercising. It's nice, being able to stroll around mindlessly, without having to worry about random balls flying his way or accidentally running into a small child as he tries to take a picture of a pretty cloud. (Yes, it's happened before. The kid was fine, but Seungmin felt bad for weeks afterward.)

Seungmin is crouching down to take a picture of a butterfly that's resting on a long strand of grass, its bright colors contrasting beautifully with the green that surrounds it. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he notices something approaching him, and fast. He turns around, startled, and barely has the time to register that the thing is in fact a dog before he's putting his phone down on top of his bag and reaching his hand out to snatch the dog's leash from where it's dragging on the ground behind it. 

Seungmin vaguely registers someone shouting out what seems to be a name. Probably the dog's owner, he thinks. Seungmin reaches down to give the dog a couple of pets behind its big, floppy ears before he picks up his phone and stands back up, turning towards where he thinks the voice is coming from. 

As soon as he lifts his eyes from the ground, he sees a man running in his general direction, a hand running through his messy blonde hair as he frantically looks around, clearly searching for something. Seungmin is just about to open his mouth to catch the other's attention when the man's eyes land on him, widening just a little once he notices the leash still gripped tight in his hand. Seungmin offers the other a small, hopefully reassuring smile, motioning with the leash at him, and the blonde lets out a sigh of relief, his shoulders sagging just a little as he starts sprinting again, this time directly toward Seungmin.

Once he reaches him, the man doesn't immediately acknowledge Seungmin, first kneeling down to give his dog a light scolding about running off on its own, talking to it like one might talk to a baby. Seungmin, despite his best efforts, finds himself admiring just how cute this man looks, his eyebrows furrowed as he looks straight into his dog's eyes, his breath still a bit rough from running.

Finally, the man stands up, a bright smile lighting up his face, and he reaches a hand out for Seungmin to shake. 

"Thank you," he says, his voice soft but deep at the same time and, wow, how can someone just look and sound that nice even after running through a park? "Seriously, I can't thank you enough. You really saved me."

Seungmin shakes his head, giving the other a small smile of his own as he reassures him that it was nothing much, that anyone would have done the same thing.

The other's mind seems to be set, though, and he is soon interrupted. "Come on, please let me at least buy you a coffee or something. To repay you."

Seungmin lets himself think for a moment, but really, an extremely cute guy is offering to buy him coffee, can he really say no to that? He's just about to agree when his phone goes off in his pocket. Right, he had set an alarm for ten minutes before his class… oh fuck he's gonna be late. There is absolutely no way he's gonna make it back to the literary arts building in time. 

He snaps his head up and starts rambling out apologies to the other man, giving him back the dog's leash as he mumbles something about taking him up on the offer to get coffee another time. Soon enough, he has his bag slung over his shoulder and he's sprinting away from the park, but not before turning one last time to wave at the blonde man. It's only later that he realizes he never even got to ask him for his name. 

\-------

It isn’t even a full week later that Seungmin runs into the same man as he makes his way out of his favorite café.

Seungmin isn’t the type of person who needs coffee to be able to focus, he usually has a pretty decent sleeping schedule. He stayed up late last night, though, and he has a three-hour session with his study group ahead of him, so he had decided to stop by the coffee shop on his way to the library. 

He glances at his watch as the barista finally calls out his name and realizes that he’s almost late. Again. As he heads out the door, he grabs his phone to send Jisung a text to let him know he’s almost there, and he’s just about to hit send when he feels himself collide against something solid. He manages to save his coffee, at least, barely keeping the cup level and sparing himself the embarrassment of spilling the hot liquid all over his shirt and the stranger.

“I’m so sorry, oh my god,” Seungmin is quick to apologize, not even looking up to see who he ran into before he’s opening his mouth to say sorry again. Once he does look at the other person, though, he stops mid-sentence. He looks familiar, with his curly blonde hair and his dimpled smile. Oh. The man from the park. “It’s you.” 

The other man’s eyes light up in recognition as soon as Seungmin lifts his gaze, his smile growing even wider.

“Hi…” he says, giving Seungmin a small wave. It’s kind of awkward but, wow, his voice is just as nice as Seungmin remembered it being. “You know… I didn’t catch your name last time.”

“Oh, I’m Seungmin” he offers the other a small smile, holding out his hand for the other to shake. 

“I’m Chan,” his hand is warm in Seungmin’s, his grip firm. The handshake only lasts a few seconds, as it should, but Seungmin’s thoughts linger on what it would feel like to keep holding Chan’s hand in his, intertwining their fingers. He shakes himself out of his thoughts; no, he’s not going to get a crush on a stranger. He will not. 

Seungmin feels something bump against his leg, and when he looks down he lets out a little chuckle. “Well hello to you too!” He greets the same cute dog he’d run into at the park. He looks back up at Chan, “Can I pet him?”

“Of course!” Chan looks around for a second, “Wait, let’s move to the side a bit? We’re right in the middle of the sidewalk…” 

Seungmin nods, quickly moving closer to the wall and waiting for Chan to join him before crouching down, letting the dog smell his hand before moving to scratch behind his ears. “What’s his name?” he asked the other man, who was now squatting down right next to him.

“Berry,” Chan answered, one of his hands joining Seungmin’s own to pet him. They make a little small talk as Seungmin gets acquainted with Berry, but it’s not as awkward as small talk sometimes seems to be. The conversation between them actually flows quite well, and the two soon end up chuckling together at a silly joke Chan made. 

Seungmin completely forgets about the fact that he was already running late, and that he’d told Jisung he was almost at the library minutes ago. Which is why, when his phone starts ringing in his pocket, he almost jumps out of his skin, not expecting it at all. 

He grabs his phone and answers the call as he brings it up to his ear, not even bothering to check who’s calling because of course, it’s going to be Jisung. 

“Kim Seungmin! You said you were almost at the library ten minutes ago, where the hell are you?” Jisung’s voice comes screeching out of Seungmin’s phone. 

“I’m almost there, I swear, just… give me ten more minutes.” Seungmin rushes to hang up the phone, not wanting to seem rude to Chan.

He looks at the other again, smiling sheepishly.

”I’m sorry but I- have to go,” he says as he stands back up. “Let’s talk more some other time, yeah?” He barely gives Chan the time to nod in agreement before he’s straightening up his shirt, fixing his bag on his shoulder and turning away, finally heading to the library. He definitely isn’t looking forward to Jisung and the rest of their study group teasing him about being late for the next hour.

Again, it’s only once he’s already sitting in the library, his books spread out on the table in front of him, that he realizes he didn’t ask for Chan’s number. 

\-------

Chan had been putting off going to the grocery store for the entire week, always way too tired after a full day of classes. This morning, though, he opened the fridge to get himself a cup of juice and found no juice, or milk, or anything else really, and he decided that it was probably time to do some shopping. So here he is now, coming back to his apartment building with his hands full of grocery bags and Berry pulling lightly on the leash. 

As he’s waiting for the elevator to come down to the ground floor, he remembers that he was supposed to get an important letter in the mail today. He sighs heavily, spinning on his heels and walking back over to the mailboxes on the wall at the other end of the hall. How on earth is he going to get his keys when his hands are completely full? Chan has no idea, but he also refuses to make the trip upstairs twice, so he figures he’ll find a way. 

Chan has finally managed to get the key to his mailbox out of his pocket, and he’s muttering low curses under his breath as he tries to fit it into the keyhole, when suddenly Berry pulls on the leash harshly, bringing Chan’s arm with him, and the keys go flying to the floor. 

Chan turns around, trying to at least keep the shopping bags balanced on his arms. He stops mid-turn though, finding that cute boy he’d run into at the park just the week before stood still in the doorway. Oh, that’s why Berry suddenly pulled away from Chan: he was trying to go greet him. Seungmin, if Chan remembered correctly.

“Hi…” Seungmin waves at him, awkwardly, but his expression relaxes into an easy smile as soon as Berry reaches him, jumping happily at his legs. Chan watches as Seungmin crouches down to gently pet Berry just like he did the day they ran into each other outside of the coffee shop, and he realizes that he is way too fond of this boy he only met a couple of times. But really who could blame him, when the boy has the sweetest smile Chan has ever seen?

As he’s watching the scene unfold in front of him, Chan is struck with a thought. “Wait, what are you doing here?” he asks, his head tilting to the side and his eyebrows scrunching up a bit.

“Oh, I… live here? I’m on the fourth floor,” Seungmin answers, looking a bit confused himself.

“That’s weird, that we’ve never met each other… I live on the fifth.” 

“Yeah, it is… but hey, at least now we know!” Seungmin has a cute smile gracing his features, and as he looks at him, Chan can’t help but wish he had met the other boy sooner.  
Even though he realizes it might sound strange, knowing that the other has been this close to him for who knows how long, makes Chan wish he could make up for the time they spent not knowing each other.

Chan shakes himself out of his thoughts soon enough, remembering that he still needs to pick up his keys, get his letter, and go put his groceries away. He really needs to get the ice cream he bought to his freezer if he still plans on eating it tonight.

He looks at Seungmin sheepishly, “Since you’re here anyways… could you maybe help me out here?” he says, nodding towards the mailboxes and his fallen keys.

“Of course!” Seungmin jumps up on his feet, almost scaring Berry, and quickly moves to gather the keys from the floor. “Which one is yours?” 

Once Seungmin is done getting Chan’s letter, he hands it to the other and goes to grab one of the grocery bags from his arms. Chan tries to resist but Seungmin, apparently, can be quite stubborn, and he manages to get a hold of one of the bags. “Come on, I’ll help you carry everything up,” he says.

They end up in the elevator together, making small talk, and Chan finds out that Seungmin and his roommate moved into this apartment only a few weeks after Chan and Minho moved into their own. It really is a miracle (or rather a tragedy, according to Chan) that they haven’t met before. 

Seungmin walks Chan up to his door, leaving his groceries just beyond the threshold and excusing himself back to his own floor when Chan invites him in. He’d love to, he says, but he had promised his roommate that he’d be back by 6:30, and he’s already a bit late. 

Chan is left alone in his apartment, a big smile lighting up his face. Thank god Minho isn’t home, or he knows he’d never hear the end of it. 

It’s only later that night that Chan realizes he forgot to ask for the other boy’s number again. But oh well, at least now he’s pretty sure they’ll end up meeting each other again soon enough. 

\-------  
Chan has been struggling to keep his eyes open for what feels like the past hour. He’s in his last class of the week, Music History, and he just can’t wait to go home. It’s not even five pm yet, but all Chan can think about is putting on his comfiest clothes and snuggling in bed with Berry. It’s been an exhausting week.

Finally, finally, the professor finishes his lecture for the day, and Chan is quick to shove his laptop back into his back before getting up and making his way towards the door. He’s reaching for his earphones when his eyes catch on something. Or, well, someone. 

“If I didn’t know any better I’d think you were stalking me,” he says, stuffing his phone back in his pocket and walking towards Seungmin. The other is leaning against the wall opposite his class, and as he hears Chan’s voice he startles and looks up at him. “Hi…” Chan greets him.

“Hey… Wait, did you just get out of class?” Seungmin puts his own phone away, his gaze shifting between Chan and the door behind him. 

“Yeah, what are you doing here?” Chan asks him, genuinely wondering how the two of them keep meeting in random places.

“Oh, I’m waiting for a friend. He takes this class too,” Seungmin glances towards the door again, before focusing his attention on Chan. He’s wearing a bright yellow sweatshirt today, and his hair looks just a bit messy, like he didn’t bother trying to style it. Chan finds himself almost mesmerized, his eyes wandering along the lines of his face, lingering on the way his eyes light up as he smiles, the way his cheeks are slightly tinged pink. He’s so pretty.

Chan is curious. He wants to know more about this boy he’s been crossing paths with so often. What’s his major? What does he do in his spare time? What is the one thing he could spend hours and hours talking about? Chan’s just about to speak again, maybe actually ask Seungmin some of his questions, when someone else approaches them. 

“Sorry Min, I had a question to ask the lecturer,” the newcomer says. He has short black hair, and one of his eyebrows is pierced. Oh, Chan’s seen him in class before… Chang-something? He must be the friend Seungmin was waiting for. The dark-haired boy gives Chan a nod before speaking to Seungmin once more, “You ready to go?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be right there,” Seungmin turns toward Chan with an apologetic smile, about to say goodbye to the other. Chan beats him to it though, the word “Wait!” rushing out of his lips. He rests his hand on the other’s wrist, gently leading him a bit more to the side. 

“Uhm.. you know, I still owe you that coffee,” Chan’s nervously chewing on his bottom lip, his left hand coming up to fiddle at his ear. “What do you say we go to that cute café down the street sometime next week?”

“As a date?” Well, Seungmin is certainly more straightforward than he’d imagined, but Chan is not about to say no to that. 

“Yes, as a date.” Chan shoots the other what he hopes is a charming smile, trying to hide his own nerves. Though, if he’s being honest, he’s pretty sure his ears have become red enough to give away just how nervous he actually is. 

Seungmin smiles back at him, “I’d like that. Give me your number? I’ll text you soon.” 

\------

Seungmin ^^ (09:21 pm):

Hey! About the date…

Chan (09:24 pm):

Hii 

Yes? Having second thoughts?

Seungmin ^^ (09:25 pm):

nope

i was just thinking

what if instead of coffee, we go out to dinner?

Chan (09:28 pm):

Sure!

Did you have anywhere in mind?

Seungmin ^^ (09:30 pm):

there’s this new diner that opened close to campus..?

we could go there on friday maybe? if you’re free?

Chan (09:32 pm):

That works for me

I’ll pick you up around 7?

Seungmin ^^ (09:35 pm):

pick me up? chan we live in the same building

Chan (09:37 pm):

I wanna pick you up :(

Seungmin ^^ (09:38 pm): 

how would that even work

let’s just meet up at the entrance?

Chan (09:39 pm):

...fine :(

I’m walking you back to your apartment after though ^^

\------

Chan has tried on five different shirts at this point, and he's thinking about just wearing the first one he put on. Minho, Chan's roommate who's been judging him silently from the doorway of his room for the past fifteen minutes, really just wants him to leave already.

Minho's probably right. Chan's supposed to meet up with Seungmin in their building's lobby in little more than half an hour, and he's nowhere near ready. He rushes through the rest of his usual routine, finally picking an outfit and styling his hair before he grabs his keys and rushes downstairs.

He’s been texting Seungmin often in the days leading up the date, they’ve been talking often and they get along really well. Still, as Chan walks down the stairs, his heart feels a bit like it’s about to jump out of his chest because of how nervous he is. What if he does something wrong? What if Seungmin realizes he doesn’t even like Chan? He really wants tonight to go well. 

Seungmin is by the elevator already when Chan gets to the lobby. He's wearing a white shirt with a dark jean jacket over it, and he looks just as cute as he always does. His features light up when he sees Chan, and the two greet each other quickly before heading out of the building.

They go to a nice diner that just opened near their university, one that Seungmin had suggested. It's really nice, and the conversation between the two of them flows incredibly well. Chan is mesmerized by the way Seungmin's eyes light up when he talks about his photography, and he can't help but laugh a little at the way the other almost completely forgets about his food as he talks. Chan understands though, he's the same way about music, and it's nice, being able to share that sort of passion with someone. 

They’re walking back home now, their hands swinging between the two of them. Chan isn’t even sure who initiated the hand-holding, whether it was him or Seungmin who got tired of them bumping into each other as they walked and took a hold of the other’s hand. He just knows that this feels nice, and that Seungmin’s hand fits really well in his, so he’s definitely not complaining. 

Just like he promised, Chan insists on walking Seungmin to his door, even though they live one floor apart and it's not like the other would be in any danger. Seungmin tries to say that it's okay, that they can just say goodbye in the elevator, but Chan is not one to be persuaded easily. He holds Seungmin's hand in his all the way to the fifth floor, only letting go once the other tugs on them so he can search for his keys. 

They say their goodbyes, and just as Chan is turning around to go home himself, he feels Seungmin's hand lightly grab his arm. He turns back towards the younger boy, barely having the time to register what's happening before a soft pair of lips are pressed against his cheek.

"I had a really good time tonight," Seungmin whispers, still so close that Chan can feel his breath against his skin, "let's do this again soon?" And of course, Chan agrees.


End file.
